Lighted Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Holy Grail

[genZOD]

Hello All. I just finished a couple of Holy Grails. One for me and one for my brother. They do a cool trick: They light up with my approximation of the classic Spielberg "light of god". I went through several LED lights before I found some intended as dome light replacements for a car. The power comes from a 9v battery in the handle.

Here are a few more pictures of one of the finished grails:


The grail was 3D printed with clear-ish PLA and then covered with Bondo. I tried to mimic the look of primitive hand-thrown pottery. That was painted with a textured paint and then a final terracotta color. That was all kept very matte. Over that, I added a glossier red-ish color that simulates the undercoating/glue of old gold leaf. Next, I applied gold leaf to the interior and spots on the exterior. That was all aged down with different Rub-N-Buff gold colors. I also added lighter colors to simulate the way terracotta ages. The bottom of the inside was left clear. I applied very thin coats of gold lacquer and clear yellow lacquer to make it less noticeable when the light is off. The entire exterior was also given a dark grunge wash. In-person, that really makes the gold shine and the exterior look old.

Here are a few pictures of the building process:

The picture of the electrical bits isn't accurate anymore, but it's pretty close.

 

[awol007]

Cool idea

 

[genZOD]

Cool idea

Thanks! I like it when my replicas tell a story or are interactive in some way.

 

[genZOD]

I made another video with my light-up grail. I need the hat...

Also, does anyone know of a good electrically conductive gold tape?

 

[kevin926]

That's really clever. Looks great.
Look into some electronics maker sites or suppliers. Gold is used in a lot of assembly applications so I'm sure there is a tape available somewhere

 

[genZOD]

That's really clever. Looks great.
Look into some electronics maker sites or suppliers. Gold is used in a lot of assembly applications so I'm sure there is a tape available somewhere

Thanks. That's what I thought, but copper tape seems to be much easier to find. The gold tape I found has been nowhere near as conductive. I was surprised. The glue for gold leaf is an insulator. Anyway, I'm sure I'll find the right tape eventually.

 

[Indy Magnoli]

Really cool idea! And great execution.

 

[genZOD]

Really cool idea! And great execution.

Thanks! I'm working on a Sankara Stone next. I plan to use something like a tilt switch to get it to light up when it's picked up. Maybe a pressure switch... those are kind of finicky. The real trick will be to get the unlit version to look like the red stones from the movie. I think I've figured out how to make that part work.

 

[davidnagel]

Nice one!! I like that

 

[JANDERS10]

Great idea. How does the light activate? Do you plan a run???

 

[genZOD]

Great idea. How does the light activate? Do you plan a run???

It's deceptively simple: salt water completes the circuit.

 

[JANDERS10]

Genius!

 

[genZOD]

Genius!

hahaha, I love a simple solution.

Pun intended.

 

[cjunco1937]

It's deceptively simple: salt water completes the circuit.

That’s brilliant

 

[genZOD]

The contacts are now gold leaf attached by highly conductive epoxy (it's the stuff used to adhere windshield defrosters). For reference, I'm holding the copper tape I was using. The effect is now pretty seamless. It's a good magic trick.

I also did a little more work on the exterior. I'm trying to sell the idea of "failing gold leaf over terracotta".

I'll probably add one more "dirt" wash to unify everything and call it done.

 

[genZOD]

That’s brilliant

Pun appreciated...

 

[mrwax]

Super clever, and a wonderful effect, nicely done!

 

[genZOD]

Super clever, and a wonderful effect, nicely done!

Thanks. It’s pretty neat in person.

 

[genZOD]

Accidental post...

 

[graffitilogic]

Wonderfully executed!